As soon as we heard that the new Clarins Summer collection had hit our sister salon the Central Pharmacy, we headed on over there to have a little look at the gorgeous new additions ourselves. The bijou range includes the obligatory beautiful bronzer, along with two new lip products – one an old favourite, the other something very new and exciting indeed. All products are limited edition apart from the Colour Quench Balms, so don’t miss out on your favourites!

Clarins Mosaique Summer Bronzing Compact, £20.79

How beautiful is this? Clarins’ summer bronzing palette for 2011 is is Mosaique, a compact that draws its inspiration from sunbaked tiles of terracotta and bronze. The super soft pigment glides across the skin effortlessly in a multifaceted fusion of bronzes, golds, terracottas and browns, adding warmth to the skin in a single sweep. The result is a really healthy looking tan that has a subtle and natural golden sheen.

The smudged golden shade in the centre of the compact in the above picture is the colour of the powder on the skin once blended; more of a gorgeous golden bronze with a subtle shimmer. The size of the compact is really impressive, and it will definitely see you through the entire season – if not longer!

Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm, £13.19

The best-selling Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balm makes a welcome return this summer. The lip smoothing wonder is as comfortable as a lip balm, as sheer and shiny as a lip gloss, and as easy to apply as a lip stick. The little hint of colour is provided by incredible plant-based pigments blended with gelled oils. Instant nourishment, filled in lines, and a flawless look are yours with a single swipe.

There’s not a notable amount of pigmentation from the balms when trialled on the skin, so we thought a product picture rather than a swatch would be more telling. The application is just incredible on these!

Clarins Colour Quench Lip Balm, £11.99

From sheer colour, to a pigment pop! These balms are formulated with a 100% natural high-shine polymer that repairs the skin. The sheer glaze isn’t sticky in the slightest, and feels as wonderful as a lip treatment. Its gorgeous cherry scent and taste are a brilliant addition to an already winning product! Here are some swatches of the eight juicy colours…

These sweet pastel shades are the more natural shades of the eight. They seem slightly more shimmery because they’re swatched a bit more sparingly than the shades below, but all of the colours are equally shimmery with the exception of Pink Marshmallow, which is a tad frostier. The hues are exceptionally colour-true for balms, and you can see how lovely and shiny they are here. Candy Pink is a really gorgeous summer shade, and Peach Nectar looks exceptional on brunettes.

Despite how vibrant they look here (I swatched far too heavily!), these are incredibly wearable shades. You can see how sheer the colour becomes once it’s blended with Delicious Plum, and a little bit with the edge of Sweet Papaya. These are the darker hues in the collection, and are they’re the ones that caught my eye instantly. I love Sweet Papaya and Strawberry Sorbet!

Take a look at the Clarins Summer range right here at Escentual